Gransnet forums

Chat

BREXIT? Am I just plain stupid?

(419 Posts)
Bluegal Wed 15-Nov-17 16:15:10

I am 64 years old, voted to stay in EU but we were outvoted.

I have no IDEA what all the talks on Brexit actually mean? OK...readily admit I am not the brightest (political) spark in the box but when I hear discussions, I have absolutely no idea what they are going on about? Do I just tune out somehow? Could I make any sense if I paid more attention?

What the heck does it all mean?

Any pointers would be most and truly appreciated. Help this old foggie understand what is going on Aaaarahhhhh

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 20:52:53

infacts.org/paris-amsterdam-say-thanks-brexiters/

In answer to the OP, just plain stupid, Brexiteers, not you.

petra Tue 21-Nov-17 21:05:24

durhamjen
Would you care to explain why there is a vote this evening when @.08.05 this morning you claimed that TM had given in
Perhaps you shouldn't put too much faith in Peston.
If the vote goes the way you want it to, and i wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't, it won't remain after the glorious day: 29th March 2019.

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 22:07:19

You don't understand the subtleties much, do you, petra?
There was a debate on it today, and because of what the government decided today, backing down, there wasn't a vote tonight, because Dominic Grieve withdrew his amendment. The government has said it will bring in its own amendment at report stage.
May has decided on this so there would not be a government defeat.

Primrose65 Tue 21-Nov-17 22:15:59

I think those celebrations may be a little premature dj
A few weeks ago, from the Torygraph, but I doubt they've changed their minds. I wonder who will staff the new EMA?
"MEPs have been warned in a behind closed-doors meeting in Brussels that three quarters of employees working at the European Medicines Agency do not want to leave Britain after its withdrawal from the bloc."

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 22:28:30

I don't understand, Primrose. If employees don't want to go, they will be made redundant, just like any other company.
The EMA will give the work to people in Amsterdam.

What do you think happens when any company moves from one country to another?
Or even one part of the UK to another?

GracesGranMK2 Tue 21-Nov-17 22:42:30

Your explanations are very helpful, thank you Jen.

Primrose65 Tue 21-Nov-17 22:42:49

Surprisingly, there are not thousands of suitably qualified people just sitting around waiting for the work. Amsterdam was one of the more popular cities, so perhaps some of the staff will not leave. To view this as a blow to the UK because of the 'draw' of the EMA is not understanding the wider impact.

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 23:05:34

I view it as a blow to Brexiteers who thought everything was going to be rosy after we left the EU.
We are leaving the EU, but they are taking the jobs.
How do you know, Primrose, how many suitably qualified people there are wanting to work for the EMA, or the EBA, come to that?

Welshwife Tue 21-Nov-17 23:17:09

They are now giving warnings about leaving Euratom.

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 23:45:32

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-21/brexit-hit-banks-said-to-start-moving-staff-abroad-in-early-2018

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 23:48:18

"As the EMA leaves the UK, the question now becomes: does the UK leave the EMA? The EMA is the regulatory body for the single market for medicines, and the two are entwined. Do we want to stay with that market of 510 million people and its regulator, or splinter off as a market of 65 million with our own framework that decides what medical drugs and devices can be developed and sold here?

The delusion of 'it’ll be alright on the night' should now be dispelled with the EMA and EBA relocations

During the referendum debate, the leave campaign claimed that the EU generated repressive “red tape” for clinical trials and life sciences, and that the UK should be free to be more innovative in this area. However, in the overwhelming judgment of our own life sciences industry, any potential gains would be small beans compared with the profound damage caused by splitting our huge collaborative market."

From the Guardian.

durhamjen Tue 21-Nov-17 23:51:15

www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2017/11/news_detail_002857.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1

EMA say large majority of their staff willing to move to Amsterdam.

Tegan2 Tue 21-Nov-17 23:54:28

I find very little [well, nothing actually] amusing about brexit but there's something quite funny in a dark sort of way about the EMA ending up in Amsterdam and am having mental pictures of a lot of stoned hippies running it. If it had to go somewhere [even though this should NOT be happening]then that was the place for it to go.I have to have rare moments like this combined with swearing like a trooper at the tv on a regular basis, so please forgive me blush. What's this about Euratom? Wasn't that just another project fear thing?

Primrose65 Wed 22-Nov-17 10:11:20

From the FT today regarding the EBA move.

"The organisation has been based in London since its creation in 2011, but with just 185 staff occupying a few floors of Canary Wharf’s Canada Square, the EBA’s move to Paris is no great loss to the UK from a jobs or real estate perspective.

Others highlighted how the EBA’s role had been diminished by the creation of a eurozone banking regulator under the umbrella of the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank in 2014.

Dirk Schoenmaker, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a think-tank, said the EBA was the “least important” of the three pan-EU financial watchdogs — the others being the Paris-based European Securities and Markets Authority and the Frankfurt-based European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. “The EBA will wither away as the ECB becomes more powerful,” he said."

Welshwife Wed 22-Nov-17 10:41:34

Which organisation does the clearing of the Euro etc ? That has been in London and EU has said that it must be done within the EU.

The EMA has said that almost all the staff wish to move to Amsterdam - which is now preparing for the influx of families with housing and schooling etc needed.

Primrose65 Wed 22-Nov-17 11:23:42

welshwife there's around $900 billion worth of euro contracts cleared every day by clearing houses such as LCH in London. LCH sits between the 2 sides of the trade and sorts things out if one side defaults on payment, for example and is a neutral party making sure the trade goes through smoothly and with the correct documentation. My understanding is the EU is proposing to change the law surrounding clearing houses and this is outside of the Brexit negotiations. All this business is under threat anyway by the banks looking into blockchain technology which would negate any need for clearing, in any currency.

whitewave Wed 22-Nov-17 12:56:33

So we are finally beginning to understand the cost of Brexit and it doesn’t make for pretty reading does it?

Total to date

£40bn divorce bill

£3bn for costs like extra staff infrastructure etc

£700million spent to date.

This of course does not cost loss of staff, staff replacement costs, resultant loss of tax receipts, and a whole lot more

lemongrove Wed 22-Nov-17 16:44:08

Thanks Primrose for actual facts, clearly stated.smile

durhamjen Wed 22-Nov-17 16:46:22

"My understanding is..." is not fact, however much you wish it to be.

petra Wed 22-Nov-17 16:54:22

Whitewave
The £40bn divorce cheque hasn't been signed yet.

whitewave Wed 22-Nov-17 17:32:40

petra no it may rise.

suzied Wed 22-Nov-17 17:42:12

Wasn’t Brexit supposed to save us loads of money?

petra Wed 22-Nov-17 18:30:22

Whitewave
I fully expect it to.

Poppyred Wed 22-Nov-17 18:40:08

I voted out as absolutely disgusted of all the EU burocrats demanding more and more money from the UK taxpayers and laughing all the way to the bank when we caved in to all their demands and at the same time having to pay child benefit to any European who chose to come here to work while their children stayed in their own country no matter how little they worked ...... don't get me started!

durhamjen Wed 22-Nov-17 18:54:32

Here's a good resume of what will happen when we crash out to WTO rules, as some of you obviously want.

infacts.org/trading-wto-rules-really-mean/